Sloman Neptun

What Sloman Neptun does

Sloman Neptun Schiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft is a Bremen-based, privately held ship owning company (Aktiengesellschaft under German law) that has operated continuously in maritime transport since 1873 and is a majority-owned subsidiary of the Sloman Group of Hamburg, a family-owned shipping conglomerate active since 1793. The company owns and operates a diversified fleet organized around three product lines: (1) pressurized and semi-refrigerated LPG and ethylene gas carriers with capacities up to 12,000 CBM, deployed globally through the UNIGAS Consortium pool; (2) oil/chemical and product tankers with capacities up to 35,000 DWT, employed through major chemical/product tanker Pool Providers; and (3) multipurpose vessels (e.g., Sloman Discharger, Discoverer, Dispatcher) commercially operated directly from Bremen for worldwide dry cargo and project trades. All management functions — technical, crewing/HR, QHSE, and commercial — are performed in-house, and the company maintains DNVGL certifications for ISM, ISPS, MLC, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 covering both onshore activities and the fleet.

The business model is asset-heavy ship owning with revenue generated from voyage and time charter contracts, with the gas tanker fleet commercially deployed via the UNIGAS Consortium joint venture (co-founded with Bernhard Schulte in 1969, now operated from Rotterdam with offices in Houston and Hong Kong). The chemical/product tankers are placed through third-party Pool Providers, while multipurpose vessels are traded directly. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is contractually negotiated based on voyage, vessel, and market conditions. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on direct B2B relationships, industry contacts, and pooling arrangements rather than digital channels. The company serves global LPG, chemical, refined product, and dry cargo customers, with no single end customer concentration disclosed; the addressable customer base is effectively the global pool of industrial gas, petrochemical, and commodity cargo charterers.

In April 2026, Sloman Neptun — alongside its long-standing partner Bernhard Schulte — agreed to acquire eight gas carriers and Navigator Holdings' stake in the UNIGAS joint venture for approximately $183 million, expected to close in Q4 2026, which would materially expand the gas tanker fleet and its share of the UNIGAS pool. The company is led by co-CEOs Christian Reincke and Guido Försterling, with Dr. Ottmar Gast as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and is self-described as a medium-sized shipping employer operating an in-house multinational team across shore and sea functions.

Name

Sloman Neptun

Legal name

Sloman Neptun Schiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://sloman-neptun.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sloman Neptun is a privately held, Bremen-based ship owner (since 1873) operating a diversified fleet of LPG/ethylene gas carriers, chemical and product tankers, and multipurpose vessels for global industrial and commodity cargo customers, with gas tonnage deployed via the UNIGAS Consortium pool co-founded with Bernhard Schulte.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Tanker Shipping

NAICS

Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing (532411)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Product Tanker Shipping (Clean/Dirty) (EUALADAH)

Keywords

• Maritime shipping services
• Gas tanker operations
• Chemical tanker transport
• Multipurpose vessel chartering
• LPG carrier fleet

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Vessel Charter and Transportation Services: Revenue generated from operating a diversified fleet of gas tankers, oil/chemical tankers, and multipurpose vessels for global transportation of liquefied gases, chemicals, and dry cargo. Vessels are employed through UNIGAS Consortium and other pooling arrangements, as well as directly traded worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Sloman Neptun is a ship-owning and operating company that provides maritime transportation services using a diversified fleet of gas tankers (pressurized and semi-refrigerated LPG and ethylene carriers up to 12,000 CBM), oil/chemical and product tankers (up to 35,000 DWT), and multipurpose vessels for worldwide dry cargo trading. The company employs its gas tanker fleet within the UNIGAS Consortium joint venture pool and operates chemical/product tankers through major Pool Providers, while multipurpose vessels are commercially operated directly from Bremen. All technical, human resources, QHSE, and commercial management functions are performed in-house.

Product overview

Sloman Neptun is a ship-owning company operating a diversified fleet of gas tankers (LPG/ethylene carriers), oil/chemical tankers, and multipurpose vessels. The company operates three core product lines: (1) LPG Tankers – pressurized and semi-refrigerated vessels with capacities up to 12,000 CBM, employed within the UNIGAS Consortium joint venture; (2) Chemical & Product Tankers – tankers with capacities up to 35,000 DWT, globally employed through Pool Providers; and (3) Multipurpose Vessels – commercially operated directly from Bremen for worldwide trading. The company performs all management tasks (technical, human resources, QHSE, commercial) in-house.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LPG and Ethylene Gas Transportation Maritime transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ethylene using pressurized and semi-refrigerated gas carriers with capacities up to 12,000 CBM. Vessels include Kappagas, Thetagas, Rhogas, Deltagas, Zetagas, Etagas, Taugas, and Mygas, employed within the UNIGAS Consortium pool for worldwide trading.
• Chemical and Product Oil Tanker Transportation Global maritime transportation of chemicals and refined petroleum products using oil/chemical and product tankers with carrying capacities up to 35,000 DWT. Vessels include Sloman Hebe, Sloman Hera, Sloman Herakles, Sloman Hermes, Sloman Hestia, Sloman Themis, and Sloman Thetis, employed through major Pool Providers worldwide.
• Multipurpose Vessel Chartering (Dry Cargo) Worldwide dry cargo transportation and discharge operations using multipurpose vessels commercially operated directly from Sloman Neptun's Bremen headquarters. Vessels include Sloman Discharger, Sloman Discoverer, and Sloman Dispatcher.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Navigator Holdings Ltd.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Navigator Holdings Ltd. agreed to sell eight gas carriers and its stake in the Unigas International B.V. joint venture to existing partners Bernhard Schulte Investment Holding GmbH and Sloman Neptun Schiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft for approximately $183 million. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2026. This represents a significant fleet optimization deal where Sloman Neptun, as an existing partner, is acquiring additional vessels and increasing its stake in the Unigas joint venture.
• Bernhard Schulte Investment Holding GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1969Long-standing joint venture partner in the UNIGAS Consortium since 1969. Together with Sloman Neptun and Bernhard Schulte, co-founded one of the leading Gas Tanker Pools with offices in Rotterdam, Houston, and Hong Kong. The consortium operates pressurized, semi-refrigerated LPG, and ethylene gas tankers worldwide.
• UNIGAS ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1969UNIGAS Consortium is a joint venture between three industrialized shipping groups including Sloman Neptun, founded in 1969. The Pool operates from UNIGAS INTERNATIONAL B.V. in Rotterdam with subsidiary offices in Houston and Hong Kong. It is one of the leading Gas Tanker Pools, employing Sloman Neptun's gas tanker vessels globally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dorian LPG: Pure-play VLGC owner focused on LPG shipping, directly competing for LPG cargo flows that Sloman Neptun serves via its UNIGAS-pooled smaller gas carriers.
• Stolt-Nielsen: Global leader in chemical tanker shipping with deep parcel tanker expertise; directly comparable to Sloman Neptun's chemical/product tanker segment and pool-based employment model.
• Odfjell: Norwegian chemical tanker operator with global parcel tanker network and strong European heritage, comparable to Sloman Neptun's chemical tanker business in customers and trade patterns.
• BW LPG: World's largest owner and operator of LPG carriers, publicly listed, competing with Sloman Neptun in the same LPG seaborne trade, though at significantly larger VLGC scale.
• John T. Essberger: German family-owned ship owner operating chemical tankers and product tankers in similar size classes, with comparable in-house management model and European customer base.
• Evergas / Ultragas: European-headquartered operator of ethylene and LPG gas carriers active in similar trade lanes, with comparable vessel sizes and a focus on the petrochemical gas segment that overlaps with Sloman Neptun's UNIGAS business.
• Navigator Holdings: Gas carrier specialist and existing UNIGAS joint venture partner; in 2026 agreed to sell eight gas carriers and its Unigas stake to Sloman Neptun and Bernhard Schulte, making it a directly comparable LPG/ethylene carrier operator.
• Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement: Long-standing joint venture partner with Sloman Neptun in the UNIGAS Consortium since 1969, also operating gas tankers and providing ship management services from Germany, with overlapping fleet and pool exposure.

Regional players

• Hartmann Group: German family-owned shipping group operating gas and chemical tankers primarily in intra-European trade; comparable in size, ownership structure, and German operating base to Sloman Neptun.

Emerging players

• Heidmar: Tanker pool operator and commercial manager offering pooling arrangements similar to UNIGAS and Pool Providers used by Sloman Neptun, providing a comparable business model benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sloman Neptun